Author: Rachel Ravencraft

House Advances Farm Bill with Key Dairy Provisions

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation welcomed U.S. House passage of the 2026 Farm Bill, a significant step forward for dairy farmers and the broader agricultural economy. The House‑approved package reflects many NMPF priorities and provides critical support at a time of continued volatility and uncertainty for producers.

The legislation strengthens the farm safety net, preserves conservation programs that work for dairy and livestock operations, bolsters trade promotion programs and protects common food names, reinforces dairy’s essential role in nutrition policy and continues support for vital animal health initiatives.

“NMPF commends lawmakers who today stood up for farmers by passing legislation that’s critically important for dairy producers,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said in a statement released after the final vote. “At a time where farmers face unprecedented challenges, Congress needs to provide the stability of a five-year, comprehensive farm bill. We will work with leaders in both chambers, from both parties, to get a farm bill signed into law.”

In addition to securing dairy priorities in the committee-approved bill, NMPF partnered with our member cooperatives to defeat harmful amendments related to animal health, Proposition 12, and food aid. NMPF also created an advocacy alert geared toward generating House support and is planning a separate campaign pushing for Senate passage.

NMPF praised House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-PA, and other dairy champions for advancing the bill through the House and delivering a package that reflects months of stakeholder input and bipartisan work.

Attention now turns to the Senate. NMPF will continue collaborating closely with leaders in both chambers and across party lines to ensure that a comprehensive farm bill reaches the president’s desk — one that delivers certainty, supports innovation, and strengthens the future of U.S. dairy.

State Issues Have National Implications; We’re Going There

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Since it began in 1916, the National Milk Producers Federation has been the premier voice for dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own in Washington, offering federal-level and expertise that best serve our members.

But Washington isn’t the only, or often even the most important, place where policies originate that affect dairy farmers. State legislatures and regulators take actions that often have implications nationwide — and in 2026, understanding state and federal policy, and how they interact, is crucial to advocate effectively at either level. That’s why, as part of NMPF’s longer-term strategic planning, we’re changing how we approach state-level issues, with resources and initiatives to better serve dairy and support advocates at the state level, even as those efforts enhance our work in Washington.

State issues hit farmers differently, depending on where they are. For example, take a look at Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which shift responsibility for managing packaging waste from consumers and municipalities to producers. The laws have significant implications for dairy farmers and cooperatives — packaging ensures food safety, extends shelf life and maintains product quality.

States including California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington are implementing EPR frameworks. The state-by-state patchwork that’s resulting creates headaches for cooperatives and dairy businesses that operate across state lines. But the issue hasn’t bubbled up to the federal level, which means that, as important as EPR is as a policy issue for dairy, it’s not one that, as of yet, has fallen in NMPF’s “lane” as an organization that advocates on federal policy.

But that doesn’t make it any less important for our members.

Our response on EPR, and on other issues such as raw milk, has been to up our game on understanding state-level issues and helping our members coordinate efforts as what happens in one state is likely to have an echo elsewhere. Delving more deeply into state-level concerns helps us anticipate what’s coming next in Washington and also helps make sure that dairy’s opponents don’t gain wins by bypassing the federal government altogether, without us having done our part to positively influence the debate. In a policy environment where all the pieces fit together in incredibly complex ways, we’re making sure that dairy knows what’s happening in capital cities everywhere — helping us advance dairy in Washington and offering support as needed outside it.

Here are a few of the steps we are taking:

  • We’re strengthening coordination with member cooperatives and state dairy policy associations by designating a point of contact for state and regional issues and holding more regular regional coordination meetings.
  • We’ve established a State Issues Advisory Council to provide insights and feedback on state-level issues and our priorities.
  • We’ve launched a monthly, members-only State Issues Digest that summarizes key issues affecting dairy farms and their cooperatives at the state level.
  • We have also enhanced our State Dairy Association Summit, scheduled for July 14–15 in Arlington, VA, which will bring together state policy partners to discuss emerging developments. The summit will serve as a forum to address shared challenges and opportunities, while also giving our team a valuable opportunity to hear directly what is happening at the state level and explore how we can best support our state partners.

To be clear: All this work doesn’t mean that NMPF is going to become a state-level lobbyist. That’s not our established mission. But by convening experts from across America, providing information and offering case-by-case support, we’re responding to the policy pressures dairy farmers face every day — and enhancing our own work in Washington. It’s a win-win and a challenge we are ready to face.

NMPF exists to serve dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own. We’re the premier dairy advocate in Washington, and we’re proud to do work that matters to every dairy farmer, everywhere, every day. The policy landscape is changing, and we’re taking the lead in responding to it.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with your own observations and concerns. Everyone can be an advocate for dairy, and everyone can serve as eyes and ears at every level of government. Thank you for your help; we aim to serve.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

USTR Report Underlines Landmark Wins for Common Name Protections

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and Consortium for Common Food Names welcomed today’s release of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2026 Special 301 Report, which details the significant progress made over the past year in securing commitments from U.S. trade partners to protect the free use of generic food and beverage terms.

The annual report documenting the most pressing intellectual property issues facing U.S. exporters this year spotlights the administration’s successful efforts to protect American producers’ use of common names such as “parmesan” and “feta” against the European Union’s protectionist geographical indication (GI) policies. NMPF, USDEC and CCFN have been proud to coordinate with the administration on combatting policies that restrict the use of widely recognized food and beverage terms to only specific European producers and effectively cut U.S. producers out of certain key markets.

“For too long, the EU has weaponized GI policy to crowd out American producers from markets they have served for decades,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “This past year’s reciprocal trade agreements are a sea change, and we welcome USTR’s leadership and persistence in addressing this issue. We encourage the administration to build on this impressive foundation in every remaining negotiation to ensure U.S. exporters are never again shut out of export markets by the EU’s GI misuse.”

“EU GI schemes create a two-tiered system that benefits European dairy producers and stamps out competition,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “NMPF deeply appreciates USTR’s leadership in addressing the GI restrictions detailed in the Special 301 report as a priority trade barrier. We look forward to continuing this great work with USTR.”

“The EU’s approach to geographical indications is simply a dressed-up trade barrier. It is entirely unacceptable,” Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN, said. “Too many trading partners have been coerced into imposing barriers on products using common food names. We greatly appreciate the administration’s leadership in reversing this trend, and we urge USTR to build on their great work securing important protections for common names in nine Agreements on Reciprocal Trade signed to date and protect common names in every market.”

CCFN submitted comments to the agency in January, which broke down the many markets where U.S. dairy producers’ common name rights are being threatened, including “asiago,” “provolone” and “gruyere,” and participated in the Special 301 public hearing USTR held in February. NMPF and USDEC filed supporting comments, expressing gratitude for the administration’s action.

All three organizations will continue to work closely with USTR and U.S. government partners to monitor implementation of the reciprocal trade agreements and to ensure that U.S. trade partners fully meet their commitments to maintaining open and predictable access for U.S. dairy and other common name products.

NMPF Applauds House Farm Bill Passage, Urges Senate to Take Action

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud:

“NMPF commends lawmakers who today stood up for farmers by passing legislation that’s critically important for dairy producers.

“The House-passed 2026 Farm Bill supports the farm safety net, preserves existing conservation programs that include opportunities for dairy and livestock producers, bolsters trade promotion programs while protecting common food names, recognizes the important role of dairy in nutrition, and supports animal health programs. All of these are important priorities to dairy farmers and the broader industry, and we appreciate the leadership shown by House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson and other dairy champions to get this legislation through the House.

“We look forward to the Senate taking up the farm bill without delay. At a time where farmers face unprecedented challenges, Congress needs to provide the stability of a five-year, comprehensive farm bill. We will work with leaders in both chambers, from both parties, to get a farm bill signed into law.”

Protein demand pulling up milk checks

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Will Loux, Senior Vice President, Global Economic Affairs

From its primacy in the latest dietary guidelines to front page headlines, protein is seemingly everywhere, and dairy is particularly well poised to supply the growing demand as the critical nutrient takes center stage in American diets. The good news for dairy producers is that the growing demand for dairy protein is starting to be reflected in their milk checks.

As nonfat dry milk (NFDM) prices hit record highs and dry whey prices sit comfortably above 60 cents, the positive sales momentum driven by today’s protein boom is directly translating into higher prices for dairy producers. In fact, the implied Class IV price based on CME spot values has improved by more than $10 per hundredweight (cwt.) since the start of the year, with most of the rally being driven by NFDM prices gaining by more than $1 per pound.

However, it isn’t specifically booming NFDM and dry whey demand that’s causing prices to rise. Rather, despite surging U.S. milk production, it is a lack of supply of those products that explains the improved prices. Simply put: Milk — and specifically protein — that otherwise would have gone toward sweet whey and nonfat dry milk is now being made into protein concentrates/isolates, ultrafiltered milk, and high-protein yogurts.

Taking a closer look at the numbers, in 2025, U.S. NFDM production was at its lowest ebb since 2013, while skim milk powder (SMP) fell to its lowest level since 2012. Even more startling, U.S. dry whey production was at its lowest for this century. Given U.S. skim solids production grew by 3.6% over the last 12 months, where is all that protein going?

The chart above shows the year-over-year change of U.S. protein utilization by-product category on an annualized basis. Historically, cheese and whey were the primary users of dairy proteins (dark and light blue, respectively). The whey solids coming off the cheese vat are increasingly being directed toward whey protein concentrate 80 (WPC80) and whey protein isolate (WPI), where production is up a combined 10% on a protein-equivalent basis. Beyond cheese though, when milk outpaced cheese’s needs — due to either abundant supply or demand slowdowns such as the COVID-19 pandemic — milk historically went into balancing plants for manufacturing dried skim ingredients, like NFDM.

Today, however, the fastest-growing user of dairy protein is the “everything else” category in yellow, which is surging as U.S. yogurt and cottage cheese production grew by 388 and 31 million pounds, respectively, in 2025, demonstrating gains of 8% apiece. Production of protein-rich dairy beverages isn’t tracked by USDA, but all signs point to booming demand there as well.

In fact, the growth in production of these high-protein products absorbed the equivalent of 690 million pounds of SMP, or 32% of production. For producers, if that dairy protein had gone into the dryer, like it had in previous expansion cycles, it is difficult to imagine U.S. nonfat dry milk holding at $1.20 per pound, like it did for much of 2025, let alone rallying to today’s record highs.

Looking ahead, as favorable as protein demand is, $2.20 per pound for NFDM is likely unsustainable without international prices coming up to meet the United States. U.S. NFDM prices are 67 cents above SMP on the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) and 75 cents above European SMP. While 70% of U.S. NFDM and SMP production went toward either the domestic market or Mexico in 2025 (where the U.S. has a distinct freight and tariff advantage), and 665 million pounds went to highly contested markets, like Southeast Asia. If U.S. sales to these markets begin to ease, prices are likely to follow. Yet even if today’s altitude is unlikely to be maintained indefinitely, NFDM prices should be firmer than the last several years thanks to the strength and pull of protein in yogurts, cottage cheese, and beverages.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on April 27, 2026.

Dairy Leads Through Stewardship, FARM’s Ayache Says

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Stewardship is a deeply engrained value among dairy farmers that’s also good for economic success, NMPF’s Nicole Ayache says in the latest Dairy Defined Podcast.

Ayache, who leads the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Programs’ Environmental Stewardship initiative, notes how sound management of resources and a focus on efficiency has boosted dairy productivity and bottom lines, even as it reflects the dedication of the farmers themselves to serving consumers.

“A lot of stewardship is about efficiency” – but it’s also more than that, Ayache said. “Anyone who chats with farmers know that because you can hear every time you talk to them about their farm and their choices, you can hear their passion for the animals and the land and their care and the nutrition they provide to our country and the world.”

NMPF Statement on the DAIRY PRIDE Act

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud: 

“FDA’s continued failure to enforce its own rules on the proper labeling of plant-based alternative products is a public health problem, plain and simple. Milk and dairy products supply 13 essential nutrients, including three that continue to be identified as nutrients of public health concern: calcium, potassium, and vitamin D. But plant-based imitation products that are not nutritionally equivalent to real milk and do not deliver dairy’s unique nutrient package for too long have been allowed to imply to consumers that they are just like the real thing, creating a public health problem that FDA commissioners have acknowledged over the past decade.

“The DAIRY PRIDE Act directs FDA to enforce dairy standards of identity, which were developed to promote honesty and protect consumers. Through the standards of identity, dairy terms, including “milk”, “cheese” and “yogurt,” have come to carry distinct meaning in the minds of consumers, with built-in expectations for nutritional values. By not enforcing these standards, FDA has allowed plant-based imitators to prey on consumers’ expectations while delivering nutritionally inferior products.

“It’s high time FDA makes it easier for consumers to navigate the choices they face in the grocery aisles; the DAIRY PRIDE Act is an important step in the right direction. Dairy farmers and their cooperatives thank Reps. John Joyce and Josh Riley for their bipartisan leadership in finding solutions through this critical legislation.”

 

Note: Last night, Reps. John Joyce, R-PA, and Josh Riley, D-NY, reintroduced the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act in the House of Representatives. The legislation would deem food products that are making inaccurate claims about milk content “misbranded” and require FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled imitation dairy products within 90 days.

 

NMPF tracking state-level dairy issues

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Sage Saffran, Senior Manager, Special Projects & Strategic Initiatives

State legislatures play a critical role in shaping the national policy landscape. Two recent examples — Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws and raw milk legislation — demonstrate how state-level actions are driving broader conversations while creating immediate challenges for dairy farmers and their cooperatives, a phenomenon the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) is tracking more closely as a service to its members.

EPR laws shift responsibility for managing packaging waste from consumers and municipalities to producers. States including California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington are implementing frameworks, all of which require manufacturers to fund and support systems for collecting, recycling, and disposing of packaging materials.

The implications for dairy producers are significant. Dairy products depend heavily on packaging to ensure food safety, extend shelf life, and maintain product quality. Alternative materials may help reduce compliance costs, but options remain limited due to food safety and freshness requirements, as well as the demands of large-scale production.

A growing patchwork of state regulations is further complicating the challenge. Companies operating across multiple states must navigate differing requirements, making the same product subject to different rules depending on where it is sold. This inconsistency increases both costs and operational complexity. NMPF is evaluating how to best address this regulatory patchwork, which comes as some lawsuits question states’ authority to impose these fees.

Raw milk legislation is also gathering state-level momentum, fueled by segments of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. Iowa, Oklahoma, and Michigan lawmakers are considering bills that would loosen restrictions on the sale of unpasteurized milk.

Health experts continue to warn about the risks associated with raw milk consumption, noting that unpasteurized milk can harbor dangerous pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, and Listeria, which pose serious health threats. These risks are especially higher for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems. Pasteurization, a science-based process used for more than 100 years, remains a critical safeguard that eliminates harmful bacteria while preserving milk’s nutritional benefits. NMPF is actively advocating at both the state and national levels against the sale of raw milk for direct consumption due to the heightened risk of foodborne illness.

NMPF has stepped up monitoring of these and other emerging state-level issues. Recognizing that state policies often lay the groundwork for national action, NMPF is strengthening its coordination with member cooperatives and state dairy policy associations to better understand evolving regulations and support a more unified industry response.

This effort includes enhanced communication and collaboration across states. One key forum is our annual state dairy association summit, scheduled for July 14 and 15 in Arlington, Va. The meeting brings together industry stakeholders to discuss developments such as EPR implementation and raw milk legislation and explore how NMPF can best support state-level engagement.

As these issues continue to evolve, they highlight the growing influence of state policymaking on national debates. For the dairy sector, proactive engagement at the state level will remain essential to navigating change and shaping future policy outcomes.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on April 16, 2026.

Gateway to opportunity

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

By Nicole Ayache, Chief Sustainability Officer

The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Environmental Stewardship (FARM ES) Program is designed for dairy farmers across the country to showcase U.S. dairy’s environmental leadership through a single streamlined platform. The program, which is developed with farmers through the program’s governance, saves farmers time and effort by alleviating repetitive requests from downstream buyers.

The program is dairy’s armor against the finger pointing that still gets aimed at animal ag — organizations that want to undermine dairy’s reputation as natural resource stewards. Dairy farmers are the original environmental stewards; our continued challenge is to demonstrate that fact to customers and consumers. Dairy’s nutrition story is well known — years of nutrition research shows consumers that dairy is a nutritional powerhouse, providing 13 essential nutrients in every serving. FARM ES, along with research efforts through Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and others, help the industry tell a similar story for conservation efforts.

FARM ES provides the aggregated data for dairy cooperatives and processors to respond to supply chain requests while protecting individual farmer privacy. The FARM Program’s terms of service are clear: Farmers own their data. Cooperatives and processors that administer the program can aggregate farmer data, but no one can share individual farmer data without their permission, including the FARM Program.

According to a panel at the Dairy Sustainability Alliance fall meeting, more than 75% of cooperatives’ supply chain (or Scope 3) emissions were captured through aggregated FARM ES data. One platform helped streamline that sometimes onerous reporting effort. But the program isn’t just about protecting dairy’s license to operate.

Another feature of FARM ES is its role as a gateway to opportunities for dairy farmers. The program measures the impact of implementing beneficial practices and technologies — measurement that is critical to a variety of incentive projects. For example, the Dairy Feed in Focus program offers technical guidance and financial incentives for adoption of conservation best management practices. FARM ES is a measurement tool within the project to estimate greenhouse gas emissions of practice implementation.

Some organizations offer premiums for lower carbon footprint scores. In these situations, farmers are being rewarded for what they’re already doing: pursuing efficiency gains and productivity improvements. That gets directly reflected in FARM ES, a program that emphasizes that conservation needs to be a win-win for the business.

To motivate participation, some cooperatives and processors offer incentives. This can be a good on-ramp for farms to begin the process of setting a baseline. Prairie Farms Dairy, for example, offers a per-hundredweight (cwt.) incentive for the 12-month period when a farm participates in the program.

There are also new opportunities on the horizon. NMPF has worked with Athian and California Dairies Inc. on a pathway for farms to generate revenue using their FARM ES scores. The work will enable farms to generate carbon credits from their carbon footprint reductions measured through FARM ES.

Knowing where a farm’s environmental footprint stands today, thanks to FARM ES, is a critical first step to accessing additional financial and technical assistance opportunities.

 

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on April 9, 2026.

Cottage Cheese and a Boom Built to Last

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

If you’re looking for an indication that dairy’s recent gains in the consumer marketplace are meant to last, cottage cheese would be a good place to start.

Flashback to… 2023, a time not so long ago. “Barbiecore” ruled a pink-hued fashion scene. “Quiet luxury” was in. A new drug called Ozempic seemed to hold promise. Pundits were gearing up for the Trump-Biden presidential rematch… and America fell in love again with cottage cheese.

Inspired by TikTok trends and embraced by Generation Z, cottage cheese was a meme for the cultural moment, spurring increased sales after decades of decline. But was that all it was destined to be? When the influencers moved on, would cottage cheese inevitably fade back into the dowdy, food-for-your-grandparents doldrums to which it had seemingly been consigned in the past?

Nope.

With two more years of data in, cottage cheese clearly isn’t a food fad that was tried and discarded. Sales that had bottomed out in 2022 at 534.6 million pints rose by 9.4 percent the next year — certainly a buzzworthy jump. But in 2024, volume rose another 12.5 percent. And in 2025, cottage cheese sales volumes jumped another 14.3 percent, to 746.6 million.

That, friends of dairy, is what is called a lasting trend. And an accelerating one, at that. So how high could it go?

USDA per-capita consumption numbers tell a similar story. That data, which ends in 2024 but goes back to 1975, adds another layer of intrigue. As in the retail sales data, per-capita consumption bottoms out in 2022, at 1.91 pounds per American, per year. The next two years increase, with 2024 at 2.37 pounds. That’s what someone would expect, given the retail numbers.

But here’s the interesting part. Dairy consumption overall is its highest since the 1950s. Butter’s at its highest since the 1960s. Cottage cheese is at its highest since… 2009. 2009? The year that Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the VMAs? The year vampires ruled entertainment? The year Barack Obama became the first black president? That’s not so long ago. And thus not as impressive, you might think.

That’s exactly the point. This trend has room to grow. In 1976, as America celebrated its Bicentennial (and “Disco Lady” topped the pop charts — OK, now we’re getting old), per-capita cottage cheese consumption was 4.63 pounds, nearly twice what it was in 2024.

That’s a lot of room to roam. And America’s turning 250 this year.

So when people look back nostalgically at 2026 (because someone will, someday, somehow), perhaps they won’t think of it as an era of cottage cheese — because they’ll be eating a lot more of it than we did at the time. But we will be the ones who were there for the revival, when a nutritious, nutrient-dense snack was just beginning its comeback.

All the signs are there. Dairy just has to maintain the momentum. And the message. (A helpful hint: Please post this column on social media, where the comeback purportedly began.)

U.S. Dairy Statement on USTR National Trade Estimate Report

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Consortium for Common Food Names commended USTR for spotlighting persistent trade barriers facing U.S. dairy exporters in the 2026 National Trade Estimate report:

“Nearly one in every six pounds of milk produced in America is shipped to a customer overseas,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF, said. “When foreign markets are closed off by bogus restrictions, the pain is felt directly on farms across this country. The administration’s work through reciprocal trade negotiations to knock down these barriers is exactly the kind of advocacy American dairy farmers need, and we are grateful to see it reflected in this report.”

“The inclusion of dairy trade barriers in this report and the administration’s concrete action to address them through reciprocal trade negotiations sends a clear signal that the United States is serious about opening markets for American dairy exporters,” Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC, said. “Every unnecessary certification requirement dismantled, every unjustified facility registration eliminated, and every market access commitment secured through these agreements is a win for U.S. dairy. We thank the administration for confronting the barriers directly and we look forward to building on that progress.”

“The EU’s common name confiscation campaign is one of the most cynical trade tactics in the world today, and we are grateful that this administration has made confronting it a priority,” Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN, said. “By documenting the EU’s geographical indications agenda prominently in the NTE Report and pushing back against it in reciprocal trade negotiations, USTR is standing up for American producers of cheeses, wines, meats, and beers. We strongly encourage the administration to keep up the great work.”